From cyberspace to outer space

Forget about the business jet as a sign of affluence. Today the well-heeled are pursuing dreams of space. Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has plans to build a rocketship complex in south Seattle to support his new aerospace venture, Blue Origin. The Seattle location will house the design and construction teams. Launch site of the reusable spacecraft will be in Texas at Bezos’ recently purchased ranch approximately 110 miles southeast of El Paso.

Bezos is part of a small cadre of affluent space enthusiasts who are actively promoting the concept of reusable spacecraft for space tourism and planet colonization. The movement got a big boost last year with the success of SpaceShipOne.